Can I get an EAT? FITNESS? TEACH?
Good morning EFTeachers!
Let's talk meal prep. If you are covered in chores, children, and a hangry household we have the prep tech for you!
Each member should have their own colour coordinated containers. This is important so that everyone knows where they can go to get their meals and there isn't confusion in the household. You can use ziplock containers, IKEA, or you can high budget - get some really nice bento boxes.
The daunting part about meal prep is that it can seem like a lot to do. You need to set aside one day to cook everything - I usually do Sunday. I will take this time to cook huge meals to be spread out over the week. I do hard-boiled eggs, quinoa salad, caesar salad, chicken, omelette with tomato and cream cheese, asparagus, sausages, curry rice, kale pasta, and divide these things up into the small colour coordinated containers.
If you can have five small meals a day, it's ideal, but let's face it - we're teachers. I manage to scarf down breakfast after school find my unheated lunch and eat through my tears on my car ride home and then warm up my kale pasta for dinner because the carbs are comforting. This is why the intermittent fasting (listen to ep 4 of our podcast) has been working so well - there's finally a schedule that allows food to fit in while still staying at a calorie deficit.
An instant pot is also your friend, chances are if you meal prep and have kids at home, they do not care about your diet. An instant pot is a safe way to cook a variety of things quickly outside of your prep time that doesn't cut into your YOU time. We aren't sponsored by TASTY but please allow me to plug these easy recipes: https://tasty.co/compilation/4-easy-instant-pot-dinners
I cannot express how important the instant pot has become in my kitchen for meal prep days. This and a Vitamix are pretty much all you need to operate an efficient kitchen. If your children watch you prepare in both of these, they're definitely set for their adult life. Although the initial cost is expensive, COSTCO usually has deals on both products and they are investment pieces. You want your kitchen life to be easy. Home-cooked meals are a form of self-care. Invest in yourself and making food be more than just fuel.
I'll post my favourite chicken recipe below. I like it because it makes a lot that I can pack into a lunch bento, and the chicken does NOT get dry at all over time.
I use this:
Materials:
1 15x10 glass bake tray
5 boneless chicken breast
5 slices of the cheese of your choice
1 zucchini
1 jar classico pasta sauce
Olive oil
Instructions
Preheat over to 400F
Put a drizzle of oil in the glass back tray
Slice zucchini into thin slices and layer on the bottom of the pan
Place chicken breasts over the zuccini
Pour sauce over chicken
Cover with cheese of choice (I love Havarti)
Cook for 45 minutes
Let stand for 10 minutes
Serve and enjoy
MNM